Thea and Zach led the way to Ava’s room, with Darius and Melanie close behind. Zach tapped on the open door and was met by Ava yawning herself awake and smiling at him. Ava’s mother, Tammy, gave the group a tired smile and waved for them to come in.
“Are you ready for lunch, Ava?” Thea asked as she sat the plate on the bedside table and rolled it to the bed. “I put a cup of ketchup on your plate so you can dip everything. Is that OK?”
“Yeah,” Ava said as she rubbed her eyes.
Melanie raised the head of Ava’s bed before helping her get positioned with pillows to make it easier for the little girl to eat. While Melanie and Thea took care of Ava, Darius and Zach turned their attention to Tammy. She was watching her daughter intently with tears in her eyes.
“I know this is a dumb question
